Modern sediments of Willapa Bay, Washington: A coastal plain estuary

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Frequently-anticipated questions:

What does this data set describe?

Title:
Modern sediments of Willapa Bay, Washington: A coastal plain estuary
Abstract:
"Willapa Bay, a coastal plain estuary, contains extensive tidal faults cut by channels and distributaries. Well-sorted fine sand occurs throughout the bay, with increasing amounts of silt- and clay-size sediment present on the tidal flats near the south end of the bay and adjacent to the mouths of rivers flowing into the bay. The channels are generally scored of this fine sediment by strong bottom currents. Organic carbon and organic nitrogen contents increased with decreasing mean grain-size, and the ratio of carbon to nitrogen revealed two types of organic matter in the bay. One type, associated with the fine-grained sediment on the tidal flats, had an average ratio of 13.8; the other type, associated with the coarser channel sediments, had an average ratio of 6.1. At the bay entrance a littoral drift to the north results in extensive shoaling north of Leadbetter Point and erosion on Cape Shoalwater. A southward migration of the channel through the tidal delta off the bay entrance indicates a littoral drift to the south in this area. Spits and shoals forming inside the bay entrance are a result of a net influx of fine sand into the bay from the eroding cape. The distribution of brackish-water to marine suites of foraminifera is closely related to the sedimentary environments in the bay. Heavy minerals indicate source areas for the sediment from the Columbia River drainage basin as well as the Willapa Bay drainage basin. Fine sand on the tidal flats east of Long Beach Peninsula is a relict of the growth of the spit."
Supplemental_Information:
Samples were collected on the tidal flats on each side of the bay where possible, in the channel, and at other points of bathymetric significance. Shallow stations of the tidal flats were occupied by wading; deeper stations were occupied from a small boat.
  1. How should this data set be cited?

    Andrews, Robert S. , 1965, Modern sediments of Willapa Bay, Washington: A coastal plain estuary: Technical Report No. 118, University of Washington, Seattle, WA.

    Other_Citation_Details:
    Department of Oceanography; Reference: M65-8 U.S. Atomic Energy Commission Contract AT(45-1)-1725 and Office of Naval Research Contract Nonr-477(10) Project NR 083 012; Office of Naval Research Contract Nonr-477(37) Project RR 004-03-01;

  2. What geographic area does the data set cover?

    West_Bounding_Coordinate: -124.0750
    East_Bounding_Coordinate: -123.8733
    North_Bounding_Coordinate: 46.7300
    South_Bounding_Coordinate: 46.3800

  3. What does it look like?

    TechRep118 (JPG)
    Screen grab of GIS-produced sample distribution, with bathymetry and land for reference.

  4. Does the data set describe conditions during a particular time period?

    Beginning_Date: 1962
    Ending_Date: 1963
    Currentness_Reference: Publication date

  5. What is the general form of this data set?

    Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: Paper

  6. How does the data set represent geographic features?

    1. How are geographic features stored in the data set?

      This is a Vector data set. It contains the following vector data types (SDTS terminology):

      • Point (78)

    2. What coordinate system is used to represent geographic features?

      Horizontal positions are specified in geographic coordinates, that is, latitude and longitude. Latitudes are given to the nearest 0.00028. Longitudes are given to the nearest 0.00028. Latitude and longitude values are specified in Decimal degrees.

  7. How does the data set describe geographic features?

    Point
    SDTS point (Source: Source report)

    Sample number
    Sample number (Source: University of Washington)

    Alpha numeric number based on site and sampler type

    Gravel
    Amount of gravel in sample (Source: Wentworth. 1938)

    Range of values
    Minimum:0
    Maximum:44
    Units:Percent
    Resolution:0.01

    Sand
    Amount of sand in sample (Source: Wentworth. 1938)

    Range of values
    Minimum:5.02
    Maximum:100
    Units:Percent
    Resolution:0.01

    Silt
    Amount of silt in sample (Source: Wentworth. 1938)

    Range of values
    Minimum:0
    Maximum:67.3
    Units:Percent
    Resolution:0.01

    Clay
    Amount of clay in sample (Source: Wentworth. 1938)

    Range of values
    Minimum:0
    Maximum:33.19
    Units:Percent
    Resolution:0.01

    Mean
    Mean grainsize (Source: Folk and Ward, 1957)

    Range of values
    Minimum:-0.39
    Maximum:0.84
    Units:Phi
    Resolution:0.1

    Standard deviation
    Standard deviation of grain size distribution (sorting) (Source: Folk and Ward, 1957)

    Range of values
    Minimum:0.2
    Maximum:4.14
    Units:Phi
    Resolution:0.1

    Skewness
    Skewness of grain size distribution (Source: Folk and Ward, 1957)

    Range of values
    Minimum:0.9
    Maximum:7.26
    Units:Unitless
    Resolution:0.01

    Carbon (Calcium carbonate)
    Calcium carbonate (Source: LECO gas analyser)

    Range of values
    Minimum:0.0
    Maximum:1.51
    Units:Percent
    Resolution:0.01

    Organic carbon (TOC)
    Organic carbon (TOC) (Source: LECO gas analyser)

    Range of values
    Minimum:0.02
    Maximum:2.37
    Units:Percent
    Resolution:0.01

    Organic nitrogen
    Organic nitrogen (Source: LECO gas analyser)

    Range of values
    Minimum:0.01
    Maximum:0.19
    Units:Percent
    Resolution:0.01

    C/N
    Ratio of carbon to nitrogen (Source: Source report)

    Range of values
    Minimum:2
    Maximum:15.2
    Units:Unitless
    Resolution:0.01

    Shepard classification
    Sediment classification by ratio of sand-silt-clay (Source: Shepard, 1957)

    Sediment classification

    Amph
    Amphibole in 3- and 4-phi size classes (Source: Grain count of 500 to 700 grains)

    Range of values
    Minimum:trace
    Maximum:8
    Units:Percent
    Resolution:1

    Clino
    Clinopyroxene in 3- and 4-phi size classes (Source: Grain count of 500 to 700 grains)

    Range of values
    Minimum:trace
    Maximum:12
    Units:Percent
    Resolution:1

    Epid
    Epidote in 3- and 4-phi size classes (Source: Grain count of 500 to 700 grains)

    Range of values
    Minimum:trace
    Maximum:5
    Units:Percent
    Resolution:1

    Garn
    Garnet in 3- and 4-phi size classes (Source: Grain count of 500 to 700 grains)

    Range of values
    Minimum:trace
    Maximum:18
    Units:Percent
    Resolution:1

    Heavy fraction
    Heavy fragments in 3- and 4-phi size classes (Source: Grain count of 500 to 700 grains)

    Range of values
    Minimum:1.6
    Maximum:17.7
    Units:Percent
    Resolution:1

    Kyanite
    Kyanite in 3- and 4-phi size classes (Source: Grain count of 500 to 700 grains)

    Range of values
    Minimum:Trace
    Maximum:1
    Units:Percent
    Resolution:1

    Lith
    Lithic fragments in 3- and 4-phi size classes (Source: Grain count of 500 to 700 grains)

    Range of values
    Minimum:1.6
    Maximum:82.8
    Units:Percent
    Resolution:1

    Magnetic fraction
    Magnetic fraction in 3- and 4-phi size classes (Source: Grain count of 500 to 700 grains)

    Range of values
    Minimum:0.2
    Maximum:24.3
    Units:Percent
    Resolution:1

    Mica
    Mica in 3- and 4-phi size classes (Source: Grain count of 500 to 700 grains)

    Range of values
    Minimum:trace
    Maximum:7
    Units:Percent
    Resolution:1

    Musc
    Muscovite in 3- and 4-phi size classes (Source: Grain count of 500 to 700 grains)

    Range of values
    Minimum:Trace in 3- and 4-phi size classes
    Maximum:5
    Units:Percent
    Resolution:1

    Opaque minerals
    Optically opaque minerals in 3- and 4-phi size classes (Source: Grain count of 500 to 700 grains)

    Range of values
    Minimum:0
    Maximum:49
    Units:Percent
    Resolution:1

    Ortho
    Orthopyroxenes in 3- and 4-phi size classes (Source: Grain count of 500 to 700 grains)

    Range of values
    Minimum:2
    Maximum:43
    Units:Percent
    Resolution:1

    Sill
    Sillimanite in 3- and 4-phi size classes (Source: Grain count of 500 to 700 grains)

    Range of values
    Minimum:Trace
    Maximum:Trace
    Units:Percent
    Resolution:0.01

    Sph
    Sphene in 3- and 4-phi size classes (Source: Grain count of 500 to 700 grains)

    Range of values
    Minimum:Trace
    Maximum:1
    Units:Percent
    Resolution:0.01

    Zirc
    Zircon in 3- and 4-phi size classes (Source: Grain count of 500 to 700 grains)

    Range of values
    Minimum:Trace
    Maximum:1
    Units:Percent
    Resolution:0.01

Who produced the data set?

  1. Who are the originators of the data set? (may include formal authors, digital compilers, and editors)

  2. Who also contributed to the data set?

    Robert S. Andrews at the University of Washington for the collection and analysis of data. For inclusion into usSEABED: digitization: Jennifer Mendonca (USGS); Formatting corrections: Jane Reid (USGS); and Chris Jenkins (University of Colorado).

  3. To whom should users address questions about the data?

    University of Washington
    P.O. Box 357940
    Seattle, WA 98195-7940

    206-543-5060 (voice)

Why was the data set created?

"The objectives of this research are to describe the physical and chemical properties of the modern sediments in Willapa Bay, Washington, to define the source areas for these sediment and the sedimentary environments. Seventy-three grab samples and five core samples were collected in Willapa Bay. The only previous study of the bottom sediments in Willapa Bay was several textural analyses in the areas of dredging and harbor construction by the Seattle District Office, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (unpublished data)."

How was the data set created?

  1. From what previous works were the data drawn?

  2. How were the data generated, processed, and modified?

    Date: Unknown (process 1 of 1)
    "Standard laboratory procedures were used for sieve and pipette analyses to determine the distribution of particle size in each sample (Krumbein and Pettijohn, 1938).... The fractional weights for each 0.5phi increment of each samples were tabulated and the descriptive size statistics were computed (Creager, McManus, and Collias, 1962; Collias et al., 1963). The size statistics of Folk and Ward (1957), in phi notation, are used."

    Person who carried out this activity:

    University of Washington
    P.O. Box 357940
    Seattle, WA 98195

    206-543-5060 (voice)

    Data sources used in this process:
    • Collias et al., 1963
    • Creager, McManus and Collias, 1962
    • Folk and Ward, 1957
    • Krumbein and Pettijohn, 1938; Wentworth, 1922

    Data sources produced in this process:

    • TechRep118

  3. What similar or related data should the user be aware of?

How reliable are the data; what problems remain in the data set?

  1. How well have the observations been checked?

    Attribute accuracy depends on accuracy in original report. For usSEABED, data were digitized by hand (typed in), visually compared to source and corrected. Where appropriate, data were tested for completeness using MS Excel.

  2. How accurate are the geographic locations?

    Navigation by sextant; accuracy not noted in report. Latitudes and longitudes given in degrees, tenths, minutes.

  3. How accurate are the heights or depths?

    Water depth determination by portable echo sounder; accuracy not noted in report. Water depths given in meters from mean low low water; stations without water depths sampled on tidal flats..

  4. Where are the gaps in the data? What is missing?

    Data digitized include (table 1): locations, granulometric analyses (sand, silt, clay), Inman statistics and Folk and Ward statistics; (table 2): Carbonate carbon, organic carbon, organic nitrogen, and C/N ratios; (table 3): heavy mineral fractions for the 3-phi and 4-phi size classes; (table 4): heavy fraction compositional analyses for the 3-phi and 4-phi size classes. Not digitized is table 5: foraminfera type and location.

  5. How consistent are the relationships among the observations, including topology?

    Data fall within normal ranges for the given parameters.

How can someone get a copy of the data set?

Are there legal restrictions on access or use of the data?

Access_Constraints:
Report is available at libraries and the University of Washington
Use_Constraints:
Cite Robert S. Andrews and the University of Washington as originators of the data.

  1. Who distributes the data set? (Distributor 1 of 1)

    University of Washington
    P.O. Box 357940
    Seattle, WA 98195

    206-543-5060 (voice)

  2. What's the catalog number I need to order this data set?

    University of Washington department od Oceanography Technical Report 118

  3. What legal disclaimers am I supposed to read?

    Although this dataset has been used by the USGS, no warranty, expressed or implied, is made by the USGS as to the accuracy of the data. Users of the data should be aware of limitations of the data due to possible imprecision due to navigational inaccuracies and limitations of the statistical data.

  4. How can I download or order the data?

  5. What hardware or software do I need in order to use the data set?

    None

Who wrote the metadata?

Dates:
Last modified: 2005
Metadata author:
U.S. Geological Survey
c/o Jane A. Reid
Geologist
400 Natural Bridges Drive
Santa Cruz, CA 95060

831-427-4727 (voice)
jareid@usgs.gov

Contact_Instructions: Email preferred
Metadata standard:
CSDGM Version 2 (FGDC-STD-001-1998)

Generated by mp version 2.8.17 on Sat May 20 20:47:34 2006